I've featured on I Heart Books blog

It's a blog for books, authors, writers and readers, and is owned by the lovely Karen Louise Hollis. Karen has been writing since she was a little girl, being brought up by parents who both worked as journalists. She was born in Lincoln, England in 1969 and has recently moved back there. She has five children and three grandchildren. In 2022, she published her first novel - Welcome to Whitlock Close - followed by her second novel Starting Again in Silver Sands Bay in 2023. 

She's interviewed loads of other authors too, so go take a look! 

Here is my chat with her...

Louise says, "Thank you so much to Lilac Mills for joining my blog today to talk bookish things!"

Which childhood books and authors were your favourites? Do you think they influenced you in wanting to become an author?

I cut my teeth on Enid Blyton. When I was really small, I used to drive my mum mad by wanting her to read the same Noddy stories over and over again. Then I progressed to things like The Magic Faraway Tree and The Famous Five. After that, there was no stopping me – I read everything and anything I could get my hands on. I’m not sure whether any of them influenced me in wanting to become a writer, though. It didn’t occur to me that I could be a writer until I was in my forties. Writers were magical, mystical people: they wrote books. I simply read them.

How did you get your first book published?

My first book was self-published way back in 2012, when no one really knew that self-publishing was a thing. I wrote a couple of paranormal series and some standalones. Then I changed genre and wrote three cosy heartwarming romances – once again, self-published. I submitted my fourth book to what was then a digital-only publisher, Canelo, and they published it, along with the other three. That was back in 2018. I’ve been writing for them ever since, and have 16 books out with them, and more in the pipeline. I also continue to self-publish under a couple of different pen names.

If you had to write a non-fiction book, what subject or person would it be about?

Ooh, that’s a hard one! I’m not sure I know about anyone or anything in sufficient depth to write a non-fiction book, but I am drawn to Mary Shelley of Frankenstein fame. She was a fascinating woman, with a colourful and complex life, as well as the creator of what is professed to be the first science-fiction story, so maybe I would write about her.

How do you come up with titles for your books?

With Canelo, title creation is a collaborative affair. Sometimes my working title will be used (with a tweak or two), other times my lovely editor, Emily, will suggest one. They are always on-trend and have a cosy, uplifting feel. Titling my self-published books is all down to me, and the weird thing is that I usually come up with a title before I start writing the first word. I do try to stick with reader expectations for the genre, though.

When you’re being interviewed about the books you’ve written, do you ever forget the names of your characters?

Ha! Yes! Frequently. It’s as though my brain puts my finished books in a cupboard so I can concentrate on the one I’m working on, and forgets to take them out again. I blame the menopause (mind you, I blame the menopause for everything!).

What’s the strangest thing you have researched (or Googled!) for a book you were writing?

For Waste Not, Want Not in Applewell, where one of the main characters is a hoarder, I spent ages watching programmes on TV about hoarding, and even had a sympathetic discussion with an old friend of mine who has trouble letting go of things and hadn’t, until then, admitted it.

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

The Binding by Bridget Collins. I loved the attention to detail in the simplest of descriptions.

What’s your least favourite household chore?

Cleaning the oven. Whenever I say to someone that I would prefer to be cleaning the oven than doing whatever it is I’m doing, then they know I’m serious!

Do you have any rituals when you start writing a new book?

Not really. I just tend to launch myself at it. Probably because I’m always so eager to begin. The start of writing a new book is quite a momentous occasion though, so maybe I should adopt a ritual or two to mark it? All suggestions welcome.

Tell us about your latest book.

I’ve just (in July) had a new book released into the world. It’s officially book two in the Foxmore series, but The Christmas Fayre on Holly Field is totally stand alone.

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